An on-board diagnostic (OBD in short hereinafter) device is installed on a vehicle and connected to a computer of the vehicle to get executing conditions and set data of the vehicle computer to determine whether the vehicle has malfunction.
In general, a driver usually installs a display, such as a head up display (HUD in short hereinafter), through an adapter inserted into a socket of the OBD to capture and display vehicle driving information. For instance, R.O.C. patent No. M338779 discloses an HUD device connected to a socket of an OBD-II to get information and supply power, and also perform decoding and conversion. The HUD device includes a 16 pin to 4 pin adapter inserted into an OBD-II socket, a metal conductive wire set connected to the adapter, an electronic integrated host having a communication conversion unit processor and a control circuit board with HUD function. When a vehicle is started to form electrical connection, power supply is provided and signal is captured. When in use, the communication conversion unit processor accesses related signals and decodes various communication protocol signals to become the input signals required for the display for displaying.
R.O.C. patent No. M332617 also discloses a power adapter for a socket of an OBD that includes an adapter body equipped with a power input connector and at least one power output connector. The power input connector and OBD socket respectively conform to ISO15031-3 (i.e. SAE J1962) specification and are connectable with each other. By connecting the power input connector to the OBD socket, power supply can be provided from the OBD to drive an external electronic device through the power output connector. Thus, through the power adapter, the electronic device can be driven via a steady power source without an external power supply or power supply circuit, and adaptability of the OBD socket is also improved.
The aforesaid conventional OBD sockets are respectively connected to a connector to couple with electronic devices with different transmission specifications; for an example, the specification of the OBD socket can be converted to a different transmission format of the external electronic device. In the event that connecting to external devices with the OBD specification is required, such as a garage computer, the adapter must be removed and inserted again after usage. This causes a lot of inconvenience in use.